EPIC submittedcomments to Customs and Border Protection, a component of the Department of Homeland Security, urging the agency to suspend the Automated Targeting System. Although the System was initially created to screen shipping cargo, the agency now monitors individuals, and creates "risk-assessment" profiles on Americans who are not suspected of any crime. The agency makes determinations about individuals based on such factors as race, ethnicity, and gender. The agency even collects information on political opinions and religious beliefs. An unfavorable "risk-based" evaluation by ATS m can subject individuals to investigation, government surveillance, and denial of the right to travel. For more information, see EPIC: Automated Targeting System, EPIC: Passenger Profiling, and EPIC: Air Travel Privacy.